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3.91 AVERAGE
3.91 AVERAGE
adventurous
dark
mysterious
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
I don't say this very often, but the TV series was better than the books.
The photo of Ann Cleeves in her books shows an older woman with short, graying hair, a full face and a lovely smile. Who would think that beneath this smile, lies an imagination that is surprising and dark.To say this book - once again - took me by surprise in its constant turns and twists as well as darkness, is putting it mildly. This is a writer who has hooked me completely! This is the fourth in the Shetland series which apparently has another coming soon.
Detective Jimmy Perez has taken some time off to visit his parents and introduce him to his fiance, Fran. They are very different people who love one another fiercely. Jimmy is perpetually unsure of himself when it comes to Fran. In the last book, he had been considering proposing to her, but was afraid that she would laugh at him. So she does the proposing. So now it's off to Fair Isle to meet his parents. They barely make it to the island before a storm cuts them off, preventing planes or boats from moving back and forth. Of course a murder takes place, and Jimmy, being "police" has to start making inquiries. Cleeves' books are incredibly atmospheric. I could picture the rocks, the trees, the shorelines, the birds, the small town, the people - everything. Cleeves has won a number of awards. She's too good to miss.
Detective Jimmy Perez has taken some time off to visit his parents and introduce him to his fiance, Fran. They are very different people who love one another fiercely. Jimmy is perpetually unsure of himself when it comes to Fran. In the last book, he had been considering proposing to her, but was afraid that she would laugh at him. So she does the proposing. So now it's off to Fair Isle to meet his parents. They barely make it to the island before a storm cuts them off, preventing planes or boats from moving back and forth. Of course a murder takes place, and Jimmy, being "police" has to start making inquiries. Cleeves' books are incredibly atmospheric. I could picture the rocks, the trees, the shorelines, the birds, the small town, the people - everything. Cleeves has won a number of awards. She's too good to miss.
adventurous
challenging
dark
emotional
informative
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
From the beginning I was pleased that this was a quartet of novels rather than a series. Although I've managed to read plenty of other series with an excessive number of murders for their location, four on on the Shetland Islands is really stretching credulity! I don't doubt I would have carried on reading if there were more though. I have the impression that this set of books was conceived within it's limited structure and I was rather expecting something to happen to close the story arc that was begun in Raven Black. And although I would have liked a happy ending, I can't blame the author for choosing a Reichenbach Falls-ish ending.
The ending kind of overshadows the rest of the mystery though, which was a solid closed circle of suspects case, and is well worth reading in it's own right.
The ending kind of overshadows the rest of the mystery though, which was a solid closed circle of suspects case, and is well worth reading in it's own right.
emotional
mysterious
sad
tense
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
challenging
emotional
mysterious
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Ohhhh this one was so sad! 😠definitely recommend you read this series in order
This was my first Ann Cleeves book. I totally enjoyed it - and my suggestion is do not start the Jimmy Perez series with this one. I don't want to spoil anything, but I suspect that this is a pivotal book in the series.
I will be reading more. I love the characters, the landscape, the details and the plot.
I will be reading more. I love the characters, the landscape, the details and the plot.
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced